Unanswered
by DySolo
Summary: ELLE DB Series. Number 3. Elle and Morgan have a conversation about Spencer which leaves Elle with a lot more questions. Spoilers to 1x6


**Title: Unanswered  
****Series Information: 4 in Elle's section of Deal Breaker, following Damaged. I have added Morgan's second piece as a part of Elle's as well. It's One of the Other, so if you're not reading Morgan's (which you totally should, because it's awesome.) then.. go read that one, because it's officially part of this one. All the stories will have overlap, but I'll try to inform y'all which ones are necessary to whichever story, in case y'all don't want to read a certain characters section. None of the Lila/Reid stories matter at this point, seeing how we're only in Season 1 in Morgan and Elle's sections. Anyone else confused? I sure am.**  
**Pairing: Elle/Reid-ish. Elle/Morgan-ish. No Elle/Reid/Morgan, sorry ain't happenin'.  
****Author's Notes: I don't really have anymore to say. Hmm.  
****Rating: T.  
Summary: Elle and Morgan discuss Spencer and their almost-night together, which sparks a lot more unanswered questions.**

* * *

The day after Elle spends most of the night at Reid's, she can tell Morgan knows. Spencer comes in, looking and feeling better and Morgan watches her, looking for signs of something - what he expects to see, she doesn't know. He almost looks betrayed. She doesn't get it. He had his chance, he blew it. That wasn't her fault, plus, she hadn't done anything with Reid anyways, so it's not like he would have a reason to feel betrayed even if he had a reason to feel anything, anyways. She winks at Reid who flushes automatically at the gesture before she gets up to make her way to get some coffee.

Morgan follows.

"I didn't mean for you to actually put your hands on him." He mutters as he stirs his coffee.

"Just what are you implying, Derek?" She asks, leaning against the counter.

"You know what exactly I'm implying, Greenaway."

Ouch, the last name. He hasn't ever called her by her last name.

"I didn't sleep with him." She says before she sips at the dark liquid. "Not that I couldn't have." She adds and he almost seems to glare at her.

"You shouldn't be doing anything with him. He's just a kid."

She snorts. "He's 24 years old, Derek, and if he's willing, who am I to turn him down?"

Derek looks over his shoulder and she glances towards the opening of the break room as well. She can't believe they are having this conversation here. Definitely when the subject is not that far away. She almost laughs when she imagines how Spencer would react if he knew.

"He's a team mate. We're a family."

"Is that why you turned me down? Because I'm family?" She emphasizes the last word, speaking of the icident from a few weeks back. Neither has brought up and she decide it's time to.

This time, he definitely glares at her.

"And what? You aren't supposed to do those things to your family? Did someone-" She bits her tongue before she can finish the sentence. It's not something to be snaky about. He glares at her, understanding what she was about to say.

"No. You're supposed to love your family. You don't do that to someone you love."

He starts to walk away. She's slightly confused, but she finds her wits before he gets through the door. "What? Leave them completely satisfied? I think sex is a perfectly acceptable thing to do with someone you care about. I mean, not to someone you're related to, of course, that's- that's not the point, but to someone you love, cherish, Sex is a beautiful thing. Hell, you should know right? You're the love 'em and leave 'em type."

She watches as Derek stops, the muscles in his back, flexing through his shirt, jaw clenched. He doesn't turn around, just continues to his desk and she followed, silently, dropping the subject as she gets back to her desk. Spencer's looking at her, puzzled, his eyes moving to Morgan before back to her, asking silently if the man's okay. She shakes her head, trying to tell him it's nothing. He bites as his bottom lip, his eyes moving back to his friend. He knows it's not nothing, but Spencer's the type to follow the rules, he doesn't profile Derek's behavior. His eyes move back to his files.

She, on the other hand, can't get his words out of his head. Was he talking about family wasn't supposed to have sex with one of their own? Or had it been the way she had taken it? That you weren't supposed to "do that" to someone you loved. He couldn't have meant it that way, could he have? He had to know that sex could be more than just a physical fulfillment, that it was part of something bigger. Elle wasn't naive, she knew how could it could feel to just blow off steam with some random guy, how good it could feel to have some fun, but she was a woman too. A woman …close to her thirties… She had needs for something more too. Something bigger than just a night with a man. She'd be kidding herself if she didn't wish for more sometimes. Certainty, Derek did too. He was in his thirties, he had to at least think about it. With Hotch starting his family, his baby could come at any moment, it had to be on the minds of the people who worked here. Derek had to want more than that, right? But how could he, if he really thought that love and sex weren't related, that they couldn't coincide? He must feel her eyes on him because he turns to look in her direction. She frowns and tries to concentrate on her work, but it's difficult.

His actions that night make much more sense, though, if she really thinks about it. If he doesn't think he can care about someone that he has a night with, then he definitely couldn't with her, they were team mates. They were a 'family' as he had said. She chews on the cap on her pen, careful to keep her eyes off the man. He had to be able to continue to care about her wellbeing and if her assumptions were right, he'd be unable to do once a sexual relationship had occurred. She frowns to herself. What had happened to him that made him think that was how it was? And how had nothing came along to question that? Her eyes fall back to the man, watching him as he worked. He had never been in love, the thought made her sad. Her eyes turn back to Reid who's watching her, curiously. She shakes her head and tries to concentrate back on her work.

Lunch time comes quickly once she gets invested in her work and Reid pauses near her desk, fidgeting with the strap on his bag.

"Do you want to go get something? There's…" He clears his throat. "There's a great Thai place 5.6 miles from here?"

Her eyes move to Morgan, whose watching the interaction like a hawk. She licks her lips, wondering what exactly she should do. She didn't want to piss Morgan off anymore than she already had, but she couldn't blow off Reid, who was starting to pale a little at her silence.

"Not that you…have to, I mean, of course. It was just a offer…that extends to everyone," He says, turning to look at Morgan, who looks down at his papers immediately, briefly, before looking back at her. "not that…it wouldn't." He clears his throat again, a blush creeping up on his cheeks and ears. She chuckles at him. He's adorable.

"Sure, what do you say, Derek? You up for some Thai food?"

Morgan doesn't even look up from his work. "Nah, I'm good. Thanks, though."

She frowns before Reid raises his eyebrows. "Should I go ask JJ and Garcia?" He asks and she shakes her head.

"Nah, we should be fine alone, shouldn't we?" She winks at him, walking to the elevator. He seems to consider her words and actions before he realizes she's starting walked. He walks faster (in that awkward way she can't really describe, but is purely him) to catch up to her. As the elevator doors close, she spots Morgan looking their way.


End file.
